Cornwall-based Centurion Racing had their assault on the Vauxhall International North West 200 Road Races curtailed by torrential rain on Saturday but not before Stroud's Daniel Cooper gave the team their second top ten finish of the week.

Atrocious weather conditions on the Antrim coast meant that it was only possible to run the opening McKendry Supersport race of the five-race programme and this was stopped on the third of the scheduled five laps. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old former British 125cc Champion put in another excellent ride on the Centurion Racing Triumph Daytona 675R to finish in ninth place as a result was declared as of two laps.

Starting once again from 18th on the grid, Cooper completed the first lap in 11th place as he battled with leading road race protagonists James Hillier, Stuart Easton and William Dunlop. Despite the heavy rain making visibility difficult around the 8.9-mile circuit, Dan moved up to ninth place during the second lap and was well placed to move further up the leaderboard as the race progressed when the red flag came out and the race stopped on the third lap as conditions worsened.

Dan Cooper: "I was disappointed seeing the red flag as I was just getting going but it was stopped for the right reasons as the conditions were getting worse. It would have been good to have a run out on the Superbike but the weather was against us so I'm really pleased to achieve the results we have this week with a pair of top ten places on the Triumph and a top 15 on the Superstock Honda Fireblade. Thanks to the team for a great job and now we are concentrating on the TT which starts next week so hopefully, we can enjoy some good racing over there."

Paul Rees, Team Principal: "It was a shame regarding the awful weather but we were hoping the race would go for at least one more lap. Dan was moving up the field and we all believed he could have come away from that race in sixth as he has been riding really well and the bike was set up to his liking. Unfortunately no one can do anything about the weather and it wasn't possible to race any more at the NW200. It was our first time over there as a team and we will be back as the organisation and officials did a great job, especially with the conditions they had to deal with. It was a good shakedown for the team in preparation for the TT this coming week also. Dan is riding well, the bikes are running well, and the team is working well so hopefully that bodes well for some good results in the Isle of Man."

Viewers can watch an hour long highlights programmes being screened tonight on BBC Northern Ireland (Sky Channel 953) at 22.25.

As in previous seasons, Centurion Racing will continue to show their support for Help for Heroes, their chosen charity, by displaying H4H logos on the bikes and team attire. Team Principal Paul Rees, who spent 20 years in Her Majesty's Royal Marine Commandos, was given permission to have the bikes carry the H4H logos in order to encourage the public to be more aware of this charity that supports our Armed Forces, many of whom are making daily sacrifices in Afghanistan.

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